Finally, there was actually a film (The Darwin Awards) based off of some of the stories from this site. A few of the stories were also tested by the Mythbusters (who, incidentally enough, made cameo appearances in the movie).

NOTE: People who take out innocents in the process of removing themselves from the gene pool are expressly disqualified from Darwin Awards consideration by the website, thus instantly disqualifying all drunk drivers and anti-vaxxers. (Though some of the early Darwin Awards did mention the death or injury of bystanders before this rule was added. In addition; if anyone in their right mind would flee the area if they saw what the contender was doing and a bystander stays to watch, then the rule doesn't apply, and the bystander can also get nominated). People with mental disorders are also disqualified as Wendy sees these deaths as tragic. Youths under the age of 16 are generally disqualified unless a majority of the youth's peers agree the action taken by the nominee was incredibly stupid. Anyone who won before a rule change, that would have disqualified them, gets to keep the award as part of a Grandfather Clause. Finally, there was a unofficial rule change that says the nominees must have unintentionally caused the incident as to prevent people from harming themselves to try to win. There are a few exceptions due the aforementioned grandfather clause.

The Darwin Awards contain examples of the following tropes:

Alcohol-Induced Idiocy: The excessive consumption of intoxicating beverages often plays a major role in these stories.

A few of the books have had to include disclaimers explaining that this doesn't excuse you from winning a Darwin Award, since it was your decision to get drunk in the first place.

The books also noted that being drunk when handling a pet snake led to the most Darwin-esque reptile accidents... which is ironic since one way to make a snake let go of you/back off is to get alcohol in its face.

Special mention goes to the two guys who jumped into a tiger enclosure, threw flowers on the tiger, and were somehow surprised when the tiger promptly mauled them.

Extra stupid points allocated considering that the end would still be the same if they had jumped in an enclosure with a perfectly domesticated guard dog that was as unfamiliar with them as the tiger was.

A tourist who purportedly left a Safari car in South Africa to rearrange some lion cubs who apparently weren't posing for photos to her satisfaction. Right under the nose of their mother.

A well-known Personal Account relates the story of a soldier who attempted to cross a field inhabited by bison, and with warning signs on the fences, insisting that the sign must be a joke because, "Real, live buffalo don't exist!" He survived to learn that he was wrong, but still would fall under the category of Honorable Mention in light of his injuries, were it better documented[1].

Based on an Advice Book: The film is an inversion, as it's based on a source about things nobody with half a brain ought to do.

Bestiality Is Depraved: One of the winners who was left alive but unable to reproduce ended up that way by attempting to have sex with a porcupine. Another man was kicked to death while attempting to acquire carnal knowledge of a cow.

Black Comedy Rape: There are a few stories dealing with attempted rapes that went horribly, horribly wrong. Like the story of the woman who bit her assailant's balls off. Then took off with them, and handed them in to the police, which meant her assailant was arrested when he checked into the hospital with a matching injury. The evidence proceedings for that case must have been interesting.

Bread, Eggs, Breaded Eggs: The Honourable Mention story "(Un)armed and Dangerous" opens like this: "A drunk driver? No Darwin. An one-armed man driving an unadapted car? No Darwin. A man driving while talking on a cell phone? No Darwin. But a drunken one-armed man driving an unadapted car while talking on a cell phone? Darwin Award - almost!"

Bullying The Dragon: Often leads contenders to their nasty ends. Such examples include the guy who kicked a bear in the balls, the man who deliberately challenged his son to stab him to death, and the famous incident where a robber decided to rob a gun store filled with gun users and a cop.

Death by Irony: Protesting motorcycle helmet laws, an Onondaga, NY man was participating in a bare-noggin protest ride when he was killed via flipping over the handlebars.Read about it here.

Draft Dodging: Tales of those killed or crippled while attempting to inflict a minor injury to avoid military service include a farmhand kicked in the head by a draft horse, and a man who had his arm bitten off by a lion.

The story note only an Urban Legend, sadly enough of the would-be mail bomber who died when the package was returned for insufficient postage.

Then there were the Palestinian terrorists who built a bomb with a timer while in their home, planning to make it go off in Israel. However, Daylight Savings Time was not observed at the exact same time in both places, meaning the bomb went off while it - and they - were still in the car.

Groin Attack: Self-inflicted attacks are the general cause of a person exiting the pool without exiting this mortal coil. However, they can also prove fatal. Hereand here are just two of a fairly large number of examples.

Hilarity In Zoos: There are a few stories of people ignoring signs and barrier fences with fatal results.

Hoist by His Own Petard: As well as many of the Award "winners", founder Wendy Northcutt considers herself a klutz and a "potential Darwin Award candidate", which would be this trope (and cruelly ironic) if it happens.She's come close.

Taunting a prosecutor with the evidence needed to convict you of a capital felony and getting you executed isn't a bright idea.

Infant Immortality: Sort of. Obviously since these are from real life kids can die, it's just that children aren't considered eligible for Darwin Awards. Occasionally an exception is made for teenagers if their actions were so astoundingly stupid that it can't be chalked up to naivety.

I Just Shot Marvin in the Face: Naturally, irresponsible use of firearms is an extremely common way for people to get themselves killed or injured, normally by geniuses deciding that James Yeager is right and that instead of checking their weapons normally by working the action, that the best way to determine if a gun is safe or not is to point it at themselves and pull the trigger!: see here, here and here for just a few examples.

Laser-Guided Karma: In Kenya, a thief stole from a church offering basket in plain sight of everyone else there, ran into the street, and was struck and killed by a bus.

Mile-High Club: Two pilots decided to have sex in the cockpit of the plane they were flying. It worked out about as well as you'd expect.

Motorcycle Jousting: here is an example involving motor scooters that resulted in the deaths of both involved; the girl they were trying to impress was naturally not impressed.

Must Have Nicotine: Several Darwin awards have been won by people smoking in inappropriate situations, including one woman who stepped off a moving bus because she was desperate for a cigarette.

Nail 'Em: This guy managed to shoot himself in the brain with a nail gun while messing around. Fortunately for him, he somehow managed to get away without serious damage.

Old-School Chivalry: A medieval knight who once asked a favor of a lady was once given one of the lady's dresses as a token. He then proceeded to wear the dress instead of armor while jousting. Needless to say that didn't go well. Gotta hand it to the lady though. Brilliant way of getting rid of an unwanted suitor.

Soft Glass: Some winners fatally avert this trope. Real Life glass is not soft; it is hard and sharp.

Stupid Crooks: A chapter in one of the books is dedicated to them, such as the guy who tried to rob a gun shop with a gun.

Stupid Evil: A good many of the more assholish contenders apply for this. For example, the honorable mention who decided to swerve off the road and crash his own car in an attempt to hit a random dog For the Evulz or the guy who mutilated himself for a get-rich-quick insurance scam.

The Movie: A fictional film was made in 2006 about two investigators chasing Darwin Award-type stupidity, starring Joseph Fiennes and Winona Ryder. (Reviews were generally bad, according to the other wiki.)

A few "lucky" ones don't kill themselves, but still end up being unable to have children.

Tree Buchet: According to an Urban Legend, a heavy storm caused a tree to get bent over and wedged under the eaves of a house. The homeowner climbed up the tree to saw the top of the tree off to free it from the eaves. Once he cut through, the tree sprang back, catapulting the owner to his death.

Underside Ride: One Darwin Award winner tried this while attempting to diagnose a truck's engine, apparently to watch the engine while it worked. It seemed a fine idea until the moving parts caught his sleeve... Link

Undignified Death: Award winners killed themselves by doing something stupid. If it were dignified then we wouldn't find them comical.

Urban Legends: Sometimes end up being submitted by people who mistake them as true, though they're almost always proven false if they are. This includes one of the most popular Darwin Awards, the famous JATO story.

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